Justice Blog of America

Via Cinematical:

The ranks of Asgard are just about full! Marvel Studios reports that the Warriors Three will be joining Thor in all of his frosty battles, and as usual, Kenneth Branagh has done a bang up job with the casting. Stuart Townsend, Tadanobu Asano, and Ray Stevenson have joined the cast as Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg, respectively.

If you ask me, they need someone who can play a snooty upper-crust Brit for the role:

Here’s the original link.

From SuperHeroHype:

Warner Bros. Pictures has hired X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Proposal star Ryan Reynolds to play the title role in the anticipated Green Lantern, scheduled for a June 17, 2011 release.

Based on the DC Comics hero, the action-adventure will be directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye) and produced by Donald De Line and Greg Berlanti. Berlanti wrote the script with Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green.

The Hollywood trades say that Reynolds and his camp entered negotiations for the part Friday, after the studio held two rounds of screen tests, along with actors Bradley Cooper and Jared Leto. Justin Timberlake also did a screen test. The studio had holding options on the actors, but, except for Reynolds, those expired Monday. Reynolds’ option would have expired end of day Friday.

Not at all what I expected. I would assume that the role would go to a stalwart hero type. Not a slacker-something smart alec type.

But then, he’s studly enough to keep a fine piece like Scarlet Johansson happy, so who am I to judge.

And since Scarlett is playing Marvel character Black Widow in the next Iron Man flick, isn’t theirs a mixed marriage?

Hat tip to commenter Dr. Thompson.

How does one get a college degree (presumably) and not know that there are animals called “wolverines” and they are related to badgers, NOT wolves. I think I knew what they were from watching “Wild Kingdom” when I was a kid.

And here are some really cool clips from the movie.

First, I don’t see the need for a reboot. ‘Superman Begins” was a great movie, exceot for the wooden acting from the lead.

Second, the dudes who did the Matrix movies are not a good choice. They made (how many?) THREE Matrix movies? The first qualifies as a cult hit, and more for special effects and ‘tude. The remaining two were … meh.

Thankfully, it’s not going to come off.

Remember that report that showed up on AICN last week claiming that The Wachowski Brothers had been offered a reboot of Superman? Sorry to get you guys all excited but I have just gotten confirmation from two independent sources that the report was completely false. I don’t know if an interview with James McTeigue actually aired on RTL1 or not (I’m guessing not) but The Wachowski Brothers have definitely never had any talks with DC or Warner Bros to helm a Superman film. This is confirmed.

Good. Right now, I am getting worried about the upcoming Watchmen movie. I bought the comics when they first hit the shelves. I’m hoping they didn’t worry too much about the design and the graphics than they did the story.

In Watchmen related news, Entertainment Weekly is pimping six variant covers. But I am 99 percent certain this is utter B.S.

Yep, the World’s Mightiest Mortal is heading for the silver screen:

Warner Bros. has staked “Get Smart” director Peter Segal and his Callahan Filmworks partner Michael Ewing to a three-year first-look deal.

Segal and Ewing kick off the pact with “Liam McBain: International Tennis Star and Proper English Geezer,” a Chip Hall-scripted spec. Segal will develop to direct a film that follows the rise, fall and ultimate redemption of a fictional British tennis star of the ’80s.

As part of the deal, WB has also acquired the John August-scripted “Captain Marvel”; Segal will direct the DC Comics adaptation. He and Ewing began working on the film two years ago at New Line, but the property has moved over to WB. Pic tells the story of teenaged Billy Batson, who transforms into the superhero when he says the word “Shazam!”

I’ve always thought that Captain Marvel and Billy Batson would make for a better movie (or a better television show) than Superman. Superman is just a known commodity. He’s been in print non-stop for almost 70 years. Captain Marvel is a beloved old character, but still one that is trapped in time. Sure, D.C. is doing it’s best to rape the characters to death, but I doubt many people are paying much attention.

There aren’t going to be any screaming fanboys complaining if Mary Marvel isn’t portrayed as a psychotic decked out of fetish leather drag.

Just as long as they don’t have him traveling the highways and byways in a Winnebago with some old fart named Mentor.

The fine folks at Den of Geek are keeping a running list of comics books/graphic novels that are in various stages of being turned into movies. They are up to 84.

But is that enough for these guys? No! They have a new list:  Eight comic book characters Hollywood is ignoring.

On the list? Howard the Duck. No. Seriously.

Howard was on the shelves during my formative comic buying years.

As I recall, I would rather get caught buying Young Romance.

Via iF Magazine:

As far as the villain, Favreau is looking to use the Mandarin, but has indicated that it’s unlikely he will be the primary focus. “We’ll see how that basic group of four people moves forward towards the inevitable AVENGERS that’s coming and how the Mandarin, how largely he looms in the next one, that’s mostly what we’re doing,” Favreau said.

And who is “Mandarin?” Some Chinese guy who wears ten rings, each one with a different “power.” Oh, and he’s also a master martial artist.

Heath Ledger is being talked up for an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker in the upcoming “Dark Knight.” But I’m fond of the version from Batman: The Animated Series. And so is the guy who penned this MTV blog article.

Integral to their portrayal, of course, was the voice acting of Mark Hamill, whose Joker was a delicate mix of psychosis and manic glee, just as ready with a gun as he was with a gag. Fans of the character still give Hamill credit for the most definitive take yet.

“And he didn’t even have to try hard!” Timm exclaimed. “He can put the Joker on like that, just instantaneously. He doesn’t have to stop and do the whole Method acting thing, like, ‘OK, now, what’s the Joker like?’ He can do it at the drop of a hat. He can do it in the middle of a sentence. He can be talking about something and go right into the Joker voice and it’s just, he’s there. It’s, like, yikes. It’s actually kind of frightening.”

Continue reading ‘The definitive Joker … and it ain’t Heath Ledger’

Via i09.com

Meet the undoing of the next movie. A founding member of The Black Eyed Peas has been cast as a non-cowboy cowboy from Texas in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie. In an interview with MTV Will.I.Am describes his powers explaining, “I’m a teleporter. … I’m here, I’m there, I’m everywhere. Boom, boom, boom!” Click through for Will.I.Am’s full description of this new character.